Publication of Charlotte Bronte’s Shirley

1523 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay about the victorian era in literature

Publication of Charlotte Bronte’s Shirley

Background on Charlotte Bronte

Maria Brandwell Bronte gave birth to Charlotte, her third child out of six within the span of seven years, on April 12, 1816 in Bradford, Yorkshire. Charlotte began her schooling at the Clergy Daughter’s School on August 10, 1824, but due to harsh conditions at the school she returned after only one year. Upon returning home she was schooled by her aunt, and then attended Roe Head in 1831. Charlotte struggled finding an occupation that she enjoyed. She became a teacher at Roe Head, but she hated the way it was run and left shortly thereafter. She also tried to be a governess twice, but due to her shy nature and the fact that she missed her sisters so dearly, she returned home. Charlotte’s thirst for knowledge took her to Brussels with her sister Emily, where she learned French, German, and management skills.

After Charlotte’s trip to Brussels, she had a streak of bad luck. In 1844 she attempted to open her own school, but failed. She then wrote a collection of poems with her sisters entitled Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton, but only sold two copies. She then decided to write her own novel, The Professor in 1846, but could not get it published. She attempted six different times, but no one would publish her book.

Charlotte Bronte obtained her fame in 1874 when she published her first novel, Jane Eyre, which was an immediate success. Bronte did not want to use her real name, so at this time she called herself Currer Bell. Following Jane Eyre, Bronte wrote Shirley in 1848, but her second novel did not go over well with the public. In 1853, Bronte wrote Villette as a third novel, which was another success for her. Charlotte Bronte’s life began to take a turn for the better. She got married in 1854 to Arthur Bell Nicholls, who was her father’s curate. Unfortunately, she died on March 31, 1855, just a year after her marriage to Nicholls. She died from a digestive tract infection, and her unborn child died with her. It was said that she contracted this disease from her servant, Toby. Although Charlotte Bronte faced many setbacks throughout her life, she will forever remain an outstanding Victorian novelist because of her talented writing style.

Show More
Related

  • Literary Technique In Shirley, By Charlotte Bronte

    220 Words  | 1 Pages

    Charlotte Brontë uses literary technique in her novel “Shirley” to characterize the phases of leaving childhood and entering adulthood. “Elf-land lies behind us, the shores of reality rises in front,” is a quote from”Shirley” that is a literary device used to show how the age of 18 is where Caroline Helstone is leaving childhood (“Elf-land”) and is about her new age. Brontë uses metaphors, personification, and imagery to foreshadow what it will be like to enter adulthood once becoming eighteen.

    Read More

  • The Battle between Heart and Head

    547 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jane Eyre, written in 1847 by Charlotte Bronte, relates a tale of tragedy, mystery, and gothic romance. Covering the multiple issues of England in that time, Bronte writes about orphan treatment, social class, and Britain’s controversial law of prohibiting divorce in all circumstances. Orphaned at a young age and unwanted by her guardian Mrs. Reed, Jane searches for higher prospects in education at Lowood, eventually earning a position as a governess at Thornfield. Complications disrupt her life, when she becomes engaged to her employer, Mr. Rochester, and soon after discovers that he is already married to a lunatic. Leaving Thornfield, Jane finds a home with St. John and his two sisters.

    Read More

  • Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre

    1347 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are many stages throughout the book in which the reader can feel sympathy for Jane Eyre; these include when she is locked in the Red Room, when Helen Burns dies at Lowood, and when she and Mr. Rochester are married the first time.

    Read More

  • Jane Eyre Through Bronte's Eyes

    3631 Words  | 8 Pages

    Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Brontë, was published in 1847 by Smith, Elder & Company, in London. This year is exactly ten years into Queen Victoria’s sixty-four year reign of the British Empire. The Victorian Era was renowned for its patriarchal Society and definition by class. These two things provide vital background to the novel, as Jane suffers from both. Jane Eyre relates in some ways to Brontë’s own life, as its original title suggest, “Jane Eyre: An Autobiography”. Charlotte Brontë would have suffered from too, as a relatively poor woman. She would have been treated lowly within the community. In fact, the book itself was published under a pseudonym of Currer Bell, the initials taken from Brontë’s own name, due to the fact that a book published by a woman was seen as inferior, as they were deemed intellectually substandard to men. Emily Brontë, Charlotte’s sister, was also forced to publish her most famous novel, Wuthering Heights, under the nom de plume of Ellis Bell, again taking the initials of her name to form her own alias. The novel is a political touchstone to illustrate the period in which it was written, and also acts as a critique of the Victorian patriarchal society.

    Read More

  • The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

    944 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. Karpinski, Joanne B. “An Introduction to Critical Essays on Charlotte Perkins Gilman.” Short Stories for Students. Ed.

    Read More

  • The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

    1009 Words  | 3 Pages

    the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin . Charlotte attended Rhode Island School of Design for a time

    Read More

  • The Yellow Wallpaper Essay

    1706 Words  | 4 Pages

    Charlotte Perkins Gilman was born in Hartford, Connecticut in1860. Her father the grandson and the nephew of Henry Ward Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe deserted his family shortly after her birth. During her lonely childhood, she tried to establish a relationship with him. (Gilman) After becoming a tutor and a brief stint at Rhode Island School of Design, she took a job designing post cards and began to write, publishing a short newspaper article in 1883. From 1889 to 1891, she edited the Pacific Monthly in Los Angeles, and during the 1890s she toured the nation lecturing on women rights. In 1900 she married her first cousin, George Houghton Gilman, who shared many of her

    Read More

  • The Maturity of Jane Eyre in Charlotte Bronte's Novel

    1815 Words  | 4 Pages

    Reef, Catherine. The Bronte Sisters: The Brief Lives of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne. New York:

    Read More

  • Heroes and Antiheroes

    1015 Words  | 3 Pages

    Heroes are often described as physically attractive, strong, intelligent figures with a flair for grand gestures,and an eloquent knack for stringing words together. The fundamental aspects of what defines a hero are conveniently glazed over. People forget that heroes often lead lives of quiet determination. When they have an idea, a goal they want to accomplish, they ignite a spark within themselves that burns into an uncontrollable blaze, which that can only be tamed by success. The fabricated image of a hero has been so deeply rooted into society that the quiet heroes in literature, such as Jefferson from A Lesson Before Dying, are often forgotten, or the misdeeds of cowards such as Frankenstein are overlooked. Jefferson is the literary foil for Victor Frankenstein, because he has strongly built morals that enable him to become a hero, whereas Victor Frankenstein is a weak willed and indecisive character. A hero is defined by their ability to go through with a task despite the obstacles that lie in their way, along with their courage and ultimately, they accept any responsibility that may befall them.

    Read More

  • Goodness Essay

    990 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the image of goodness in terms of society and/or personal actions and beliefs, people would probably want to believe what they want to believe, not let society choose who they should think is good and who is bad. In the book “The Crucible”, Arthur Miller demonstrates not only how people not only take what they believe in and use it to conduct their actions, but also, how it affects society all over the world. I,too would believe in my own personal beliefs or actions.

    Read More

  • The Quest for Inner Beauty in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre

    1992 Words  | 4 Pages

    Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. 3rd ed. New York: The Modern Library. Bronte, Charlotte. "

    Read More

  • Perfection In Society

    1565 Words  | 4 Pages

    Additionally, suicide is never a guaranteed way out. There is never a one hundred percent chance that committing suicide will actually work. When someone commits suicide the family will grieve and mourn the loss of their loved one. When someone attempts to commit suicide and fails, the family will forever worry and suffer even more. (EXPLAIN) There are various solutions to any conflict and suicide is never the answer. There are many methods to cope with being suicidal. These methods include talking to someone close, consult a person who has experienced the same feelings and gotten better, or talking to a therapist. Feeling suicidal is temporary depending on the situation and how it is dealt with. Keeping quiet for a bully

    Read More

  • Comparing the Quest for Self in Jane Eyre and Villete

    3575 Words  | 8 Pages

    "Charlotte Bronte as a 'Freak Genius'", David Cecil in Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyreand Villette (A Casebook Series) ed. Miriam Allot.

    Read More

  • Sleeping and Dreaming

    4847 Words  | 10 Pages

    Sleep and dreams have defined eras, cultures, and individuals. Sigmund Freud’s interpretation of dreams revolutionized twentieth-century thought. Historical archives record famous short sleepers and notable insomniacs—some accounts reliable, some not. When Benjamin Franklin counseled, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise,” he was using sleep habits to symbolize his pragmatism.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Content Marketing Is A Strategic Marketing Approach

    4318 Words  | 9 Pages

    Well, you want to be a resource for your clients and potential clients. Providing your readers and followers with valuable content is a great way to establish a relationship with them and set your brand up as an expert resource to look to when they have questions. It allows you to communicate with your clients without always trying to sell something to them.

    Read More

More about Publication of Charlotte Bronte’s Shirley

Open Document